Carrier-system chute for light articles.



F. D. POWELL. CARRIER SYSTEM CHUTE FOR LlGHT ARTICLES. APPLICATION rim) APR. 29. 1914.

Patented Dec. 26, 1916.

A WZMW.

My 1 [tor/2e ETD %TA ES FRANK D. POWELL, OF BOSTON, MAs ACl-IUsETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSONCOMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CARRIER-SYSTEM CHUTE FOR LIGHT ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 26, 1916.

Application filed April 29, 1914. Serial No. 835,074.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK D. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carrier-System Chutes for Light Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to chutes for receiving papers and the like from carrier despatch apparatus and delivering such articles to a suitable receptacle or repository.

In the patent to Pitt, Number 1,08 t,108, dated January 13,1914, there is shown a chute of this general character in which a series of chains are suitably suspended to form a cylindric structure, a letter or tele gram being delivered to the so formed chute from a carrier which travels upon a wireline, and the letter or like article descending through thechute after its introduction thereinto by gravity.

' The present invention may, in'certain of its aspects, be regarded as an improvement upon the chute structure shown by Pitt and is intended to so co-act with a sheet of paper or like article which may be descending therethrough as to prevent said article from slipping out edgewise bet-ween the chute forming elements. The construction of a chute of this type which shall be free from the objection noted presents certain difliculties which are not at first apparent. In the first place if the chute be made of imperforate sheet metal or the like a draft is apt to be created therein at times which will prevent the descent of such a light article as, for example, a telegram. In the second place if the chute be made of wire netting of the like the corners of the telegram may insert themselves into the interstices between the wires and thus hold the paper up in the chute.

The chute should preferably be lightly and simply constructed and especially, if it is of any material length, should it be possible to gain access to any article which may have stuck therein, through the walls of the chute.

It has been found in practice'that even chains are subject to substantially the same objection as that noted against chutes made of wire-netting, and a principal object of the present invention is to provide a chute construction which shall not be subject, to

any material extent, to such objections; and one moreover which shall be light in weight and inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects of-my invention will be hereinafter referred to and the novel combinations of elements by which said objects may be attained will be more particularly set forth in the claims appended hereto.

perspective view of the chute constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention; a portion of a suitable carrier despatch apparatus being shown in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a view of a preferred carrier, partly in section. and drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a section through the bottom of the chute, taken on line III 1II of Fig. 1.

The carrierherein shown is substantially the same as that shown in the said atent to Pitt, and hence need be but briefly described It comprises a carrier bodv 1 mounted on wheels 2 which ride on a linewire 3. 1

Below the body or frame 1 is a c lindrical receptacle 4 loosely mounted within which, plunger fashion, is mounted a piston-like element 5 which is adapted'toslide freely from one end of the carrier to the other by its own momentum when the carrier is brought to a stop. The element 5 is webbed, as best shown in-Fig. 2, and this web is upwardly extended through a slot 4 in the cylinder, and carries suitable buffers or bumpers 6, of rubber or the like;

A telegram or like article 7 may be rolled up, preferably with the printed side rolled inwardly, and such paper is inserted into the end of the carrier which is nearest to the chute into which such paper is to be ejected; the plunger or piston 5 being pressed back by the insertion of the paper, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the carrier is propelled along the wire 3, laden in the manner above described,

the forward end of its frame impinges against the loop 8 of a preferably resilient stop 9, which brings the carrier to rest,

while the momentum of its plunger 5 ejects the paper sheet 7 into the aperture or mouth 10 of the head 11 of the chute. This head may. conveniently be made of wire netting, which may be supported from the bracket 12 to which is connected a wire 3 and also a secqnd or guard wire, 13, in a known manner.

' Wire13, it maybe here noted, carries a yoke 14; to which are connected the respective ends of the cord 9. The head 11 of the .chntejhas attached thereto a series. of preferably*fiexible.. elements 15, which depend therefrom, and which elements together with the deflecting balls 16 which are mounted h on e s iw th hear o th p walledchute.

The. bal sw fi m ve ent y be m 'ofwood, and may be fastened to .the element's15 inany suitable manner. Thelatter are preferably light cords or rope, and while the "ballsde will in the aggregate be suitiea s heavy to n y m ntai the d sired perpendicularity. of the elements 15,

I prefer to. attach weightsl'l tothe lower extremities of eachof, these cords or elements further to extend these ends through an annuluslS, which may rest upon 'theweight's 17. Thus itw ill be seen that while the chute as a whole is inexpensive to manufacture, it is nevertheless sightly and is furthermore adaptedf'to be folded up into 'a-compact bulk preparatory for shipment. v

\Vithin the chute, as shown in Fig, 1, is a telegram which has, been ejected fromthe receptacle 4 of the carrier in ama'nner above described, and which, itwill be noted has been curled slightly by, reason of its lhavin g been rolled and inserted into said cylinder. I have discovered that when a paper has had 7 the edges thereof slightly curled,"as shown," it almost invariablytends to descend with 'the curled edges uppermost; so that when the telegram, for example, has fallen through the chute, it will come to rest upon therepository 18 with its curled edges up and "consequently since the printed or typed matter of the telegram s upon this'side, it will 'be immediately ready ',.for "inspection without havingto'turn it over, and v moreover"practica1lly every one of the so clepo sited telegrams will beproperly facedup, *and' thereby quite'neatly piled, The reposi- 't0ry118, in the present instance, is the corner of thetablefbutit is evident that any Suitable receptacle or repository may be used;

' The action ofthe curled paper in falling through the chute is quite noteworthyi since,

if the chute be, for example, five or sixfeet ma ma; matter which way the paper may he'fa'ced when beingintrodu'cedfinto "the I claim'isz large to present effective resistance to. any

paper which maytend to twistout sidewise through the apertures 19 between the cords 15. In the present case the diameter of the balls is about equaltor the distance. between the centers of adjoining cords; butwhileit is desirable to thus have the balls so. proportioned to the said spaces, :they may be made. of relatively somewhat less diameter and still efiectively accomplish theipurpose for which they are provided. 1

Bv reason of thefact thatthey are round and by reason further of the, fact that the cords. are relativelvsmooth, ,these devices "present no recesses to the paper sheet which the corners of the latterjmight find lodgment'.

The utility of the device is strikingly illustrated when one attempts to introduce even a relatively heavy letter, for example,

edgewise into the apertureloand to even give such an article a twist whichione would ordinarily think should, be sufficient to cause it to probably pass'out'through someone of the interstices 19 but, upon many repeated trials it will'be found that the jletter, tele- 7 gram or the like, will almost invariably be 'properlyretained within the chute until {it emerges from the bottom thereof andfalls, rightly faced, if its edges be slightly curled, upon the repository ortable 18.

1. An open walled chute for paper sheets and the like comprising ahead having an Having thus described my invention what opening therein adapted for the reception of said sheets, a series of depending elements having at spaced intervals along the lengths of said elements, but distinct therefrom, meansto deflect a'falling paper lleet to prevent said sheet from emerging from saidchute between said elements, said [elements and means being free from recesses which'might receive and hold the corners of said paper sheet.

2. Anopen walled chute forpaperysheets 'and the like comprising a series of substann tially vertically disposed weighted elements fhavingatspaced intervals along thelengths of said elements,'but distinct from-the latter, means to deflect a falling paper sheet to prevent-said sheet from emergingfrom said chute between said elements, said elements and means being free from recesses which might receive and hold the corners of said paper sheet, means to support said elements and to normally hold them in definite relationship with respect to each other, and a repository at the lower end of said chute, said repository being spaced from at least a portion of the lower end of said chute to permit the removal of a fallen paper sheet while leaving the chute undisturbed.

3. An open walled chute for paper sheets and the like comprising a series of substantially vertically disposed elements having at spaced intervals along the lengths of said elements balls to deflect a falling paper sheet to prevent said sheet from emerging from said chute between said elements, said elements and balls being free from recesses which might receive and hold the corners of said paper sheet, means to support said elements and to normally hold them in definite relationship with respect to each other.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK D. POWELL.

Witnesses:

M. K. PORTER, E. M. JORDAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 6. 

